How To Get a Handle on Holiday Clutter

 

The Holidays can be great but they can also come with SO much clutter which can leave you feeling overwhelmed and less able to enjoy the Holidays.  But today, I am going to help you deal with all kinds of Holiday clutter so you can take back control and be feeling great after them instead of burnt out and overwhelmed. So let's go through the different types of Holiday clutter and what you can do about each.



Decor Clutter

This is a huge one! Decorations are great but not only does it get stressful getting them all out and then putting them all back away to fit their boxes, but you also need to fit the new stuff in you buy during the season.  So once and for all, you can take back the clutter of holiday decorations but the only thing is, it needs to be done before or after the holidays.  

 

First you need to eliminate anything that's broken and not worth repairing.  Get rid of it or else it just sits in storage every year and takes up valuable storage space for your other decorations.  Then you should get rid of anything you don't use.  Why are you holding onto it if you don't use it? If it's sentimental, it's better to use it and find a unique way to decorate with it.  The bonus here is, holiday decorations can be sold on yardsale sites or FB Marketplace.  Make sure you do all of this either as you're getting everything out to decorate or as you are taking it all down to store.  Then find a way to fit all of your decor into storage totes to keep them safe and dry during the year and so that nothing breaks.  Don't let random items that can fit in totes sit around loose because they just take up more room.

 

Gift Clutter

Gifts are great but they can accrue quickly and most people let them sit on display for months after the holidays.  After the Holidays make sure you open everything, throw away the packaging, and then put it away in a secure place.  If you are running out of room with something that you received as a gift, it's time to enact the one in/one out rule.  Got new shoes for Christmas? Make sure you purge any old or damaged pairs.  

Gifts are great because they are new things that can replace old things.  Maybe you received a beautiful way to store or write your favorite recipes.  That means it's time to use it and get rid of the old recipe books with flagged pages.  If you receive new clothes, do a closet purge to clear space for them.  

Gift Wrap Clutter

This comes along with gifts. Many of us save gift bags and bows to reuse, but then where we store them gets all cluttered up. Before you wrap things for the Holidays, lay out all of your stuff and purge what you can. Refold and reorganize everything so it fits nicely in your storage area. Knowing what you have lets you not buy in excess leaving you with no space for your new gift bags or bows.  Get this organized BEFORE the Holidays!

 

Card Clutter

Cards are great but they can take up space.  Find a way to tape them up or display them during the season.  After the holidays end, don't just shove them in a drawer.  Make sure you throw out the ones that don't have much value (no photos or personal notes written in them) and find a smart way to store the ones you want to keep. I take all the photo cards I get and I punch a hole in them and then use a ring clip to keep them together. 

 

Food Clutter

Ever looked in your fridge around the Holidays and been overwhelmed? Only buy what you need! Eliminate snack food impulse buys and stick to meal planning.  Plan your holiday dinner and who is bringing what.  Only keep so many leftovers (as much as you'll eat) and let others take the rest.  If you are baking cookies, give them away instead of letting them take up space in your freezer or cabinets.  This is also a great time to clean out your pantries and also get rid of any dinnerware you don't use anymore. 

Hopefully these aspects of Holiday clutter can be tackled in your home!

 

 

 

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